a. Field of the Invention
The instant invention is directed toward a headrail for powered coverings for architectural openings. More specifically, it relates to a headrail including a trap door for accessing batteries for a battery-powered adjustable covering for an architectural opening.
b. Background Art
It is well known to use adjustable coverings over architectural openings. Such adjustable coverings include cellular panels, Venetian blinds, and many other mechanisms for controlling the passage of light, vision, or air through the architectural openings. For example, cellular panels and Venetian blinds may be adjusted by retracting or extending them, and Venetian blinds may be adjusted by tilting the slats. Depending upon the specific type of mechanism, other adjustments are possible.
It is also known in the art to power these adjustable coverings. For example, electric motors may be used in connection with the adjustable coverings to facilitate retracting the coverings or otherwise adjusting the coverings to control the amount of light, vision, or air that may pass through the coverings. It is also known in the art to use battery-powered electric motors, particularly in applications where access to an electrical outlet or other electrical wiring may not exist. In applications where access to the covering may be limited, it is also know to use remote controls to operate the electric motors that allow a user to selectively configure the covering. For example, when adjustable coverings are used in connection with elevated architectural openings, it may be quite inconvenient to manually change the configuration of the coverings.
When an adjustable covering is battery powered, it is challenging to design an aesthetically pleasing system wherein the battery or batteries are convenient to the electric actuators they power. To design an attractive battery-powered adjustable covering, it is preferable that the battery or batteries are located within the headrail and thereby hidden from view. Placing the battery or batteries within the headrail, however, can make it difficult to change the batteries as they become depleted.
The headrail of the present invention has been designed such that a battery or batteries for a powered covering for an architectural opening are conveniently hidden within the headrail and accessible for removal and replacement. The headrail preferably comprises a housing having an interior and a bottom wall with an opening in it. A battery magazine is attached within the interior of the housing such that at least a portion of the battery magazine is positioned above the opening in the bottom wall. A trap door is swingably associated with the bottom wall of the housing to selectably cover the opening for convenient access to the batteries in the battery magazine.
In a form of the invention, the trap door is swingably attached to the magazine by a battery bracket that includes at least one door mount. The at least one door mount engages a bracket-retention channel comprising part of the trap door.
In another form of the invention, the battery bracket further includes at least one rail slidably connected to the battery magazine or the housing. In a preferred form, the battery bracket has two rails that are joined on one of their ends by a crossover section and are slidably engaged in corresponding rail guide channels formed in the battery magazine. The other ends of the rails jog inwardly, forming a pair of door mounts. These door mounts engage the bracket-retention channel comprising part of the trap door.
In yet another form, the trap door itself further comprises a first longitudinal end and a second longitudinal end. The bracket-retention channel is adjacent the first longitudinal end. At least one protrusion extends from the second longitudinal end of the trap door. This protrusion interacts with the bottom wall of the housing to hold the trap door closed after it has been pivoted against the bottom wall of the housing to selectively cover the opening. The protrusion may include a sloped surface that helps it snap into the opening in the bottom wall of the housing. It is also beneficial for the trap door to include a handle adjacent the protrusion. The trap door may also include a protruding strip along each of its longitudinal edges, extending between its first and second longitudinal ends, wherein the protruding strips rest against an exterior of the bottom wall of the housing when the trap door is closed.
Other aspects, features, and details of the present invention will be apparent from reading the following description and claims, and from reviewing the accompanying drawings.